


count to ten (our hearts skip to the same beat)

by tropicalfruits



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bokuaka - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, M/M, Misunderstandings, bokuaka are the ghoul boys, but they suck at the job, buzzfeed unsolved au, im so sorry i made them this stupid, it pained me to write this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22208539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tropicalfruits/pseuds/tropicalfruits
Summary: "Say, Akaashi, do you believe in ghosts?"Bokuto and Akaashi do an episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved together for the first time. The thing is; there isn't as much ghoul busting as there are pinings and awfully timed misunderstandings.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Slight Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 10
Kudos: 146





	count to ten (our hearts skip to the same beat)

1\. 

“Bokuto-san. Please get up from under that table.” Akaashi sighs, before turning his chair to face Bokuto, his senior co-worker of three years, balled up under the desk in his cubicle, murmuring nonsense. He hears the man huff and somehow gets the feeling that his sulking won’t ever stop, not until he gets what he wants. 

Akaashi massages the bridge of his nose, looking over to Konoha, standing right in front of his cubicle, shaking his head in despair. _It’s Monday morning for fuck’s sake._

Akaashi sighs for the umpteenth of times that day, and finally walks over to where Bokuto was crumpled on the ground (a behavior one shouldn’t exactly see in a 25 year old man in his office, and yet there they are). 

“Bokuto-san. You’re being highly unreasonable. You’re going to get yelled at again if you don’t start taking your job seriously.” He tries to reason with the man, using the tone and voice he would often use on his six year old nephew when they refuse to take their vegetables. 

Bokuto remains sulky, murmuring incoherent words, something along the lines of _‘it’s just one episode’_ and _‘Akaashi must not like me very much huh’._

Totally not the case. 

He sighs in defeat. There’s no way this is going to end before he gives him what he wants. He might as well give in right then and there. 

“If I say yes, will you stop being so unproductive?” He says, stooping down to eye-level to where Bokuto sits on the carpeted floors. “You’ll get into trouble if you don’t finish that manuscript today.” 

Bokuto looks him in the eye, and Akaashi could have sworn he’d seen a spark somewhere in those mesmerizing golden eyes. 

“Do you mean it?” He instantly says with a large, ear-to-ear grin. As much as Akaashi wants to feel annoyed at the moment, he just can’t seem to feel the tiniest bit of irritation. So instead, he smiles, and the gesture alone was enough to get Bokuto to jolt so hard up he bumped his head on his desk with a loud thud. Bokuto shakes it off and rights himself up, brushing dusts off his jeans. Typical Bokuto, making every little gesture seem so much more unnecessarily grandiose than it should be. “Awesome! I’ll get on working right now! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

Bokuto envelops Akaashi in a tight hug, lifting him off the ground (and Akaashi might, or might not have felt like he was _soaring_ ). He stands there once his feet touches the ground, mouth agape, unable to comprehend what was going on. 

His body feels all warm and tingly, and his legs are suddenly reduced to jello. 

Akaashi doesn’t want to see the kind of expression he has on right now. He’ll just spare himself the embarrassment. 

“Hey, you good?” Bokuto asks, the smile still plastered wide on his face. He mentally shakes his head, _no, I’m not good,_ but gains his composure back after. 

“Yeah, but just one episode, do you hear me? And then you have to find an actual, permanent replacement for Kuroo-san to be your Buzzfeed Unsolved partner.” 

“Don’t worry! One night is all I need!” He places a steady hand on Akaashi’s shoulder, before turning to sit back on his cubicle and working his fingers across the computer keyboard, muttering something along the lines of ‘manuscript, manuscript’. 

Akaashi stands there, still very much starstruck, before eventually returning to his cubicle right across Bokuto’s. He could feel his face burning, and wonders for a brief moment whether or not Bokuto had noticed (he sincerely hopes not). 

Because he knows he has never had the knack towards hiding his feelings. He’s always felt as if his face gives away too much. 

And also, the last thing he wants is to be caught having ‘feelings’ towards his own best friend’s boyfriend. Because honestly, that’s all kinds of fucked up, right? Especially after all the hassle 

Kuroo had to go through to help him intern and apply for Buzzfeed. 

Akaashi begins typing on his computer, but finds it difficult to concentrate. His mind keeps reeling back to Bokuto’s previous words. 

_“One night is all I need.”_

Oh no. 

They’re going to be doing an overnight episode, aren’t they? 

He decks his forehead onto the surface of his desk and wishes nothing more than to disappear into thin air. He’d always tried avoiding any kind of contact with Bokuto in the office (because really, what good would it bring him?), and now he’ll be spending an entire night with the guy secluded in some pre-historic landmark somewhere? 

God, he’s so screwed now. 

Truth be told; Akaashi rarely ever develop any crushes. 

But the only time he ever does; of course it has to be with Kuroo’s fucking boyfriend. 

The same Kuroo who had been his best friend ever since they were in kindergarten. The same Kuroo who comes to his house every single day after school from elementary to college just to spend time together and talk. The same Kuroo who had helped him land the very job he’s doing in Buzzfeed headquarters and _oh my God_. The more he lets his mind dwells on it, the guiltier he feels. 

He sits back up, a sudden wave of determination coursing through him. 

(He finally decides that enough is enough. He’s done doing favors for Bokuto Koutarou and he _refuses_ to spend another minute with the man outside work. If his feeling doesn’t die down anytime sooner, he’ll make sure to kill it dead himself) 

*** 

“Akaashi, come over to my place after work?” 

Akaashi chokes on his hot coffee. For a split second, he doesn’t mind dying then and there, right after Bokuto had asked him to come over to his place at such an ungodly hour. That’s a happy death, right there. 

“Excuse me?” He looks up to see Bokuto poking his head up the walls of his cubicle with his signature radiant smile in all its glory. It’s past midnight and he wonders how someone could still look so energetic and lively. 

“No, I mean, we need to get started with our new supernatural episode. There’s a lot to discuss. I was thinking of doing it in the Sally House again, or you know—” They were the only two left in the office, probably in the whole entire building even, which should even be more of a red flag for him to begin with. 

He closes his laptop. 

“Bokuto-san, with all due respect, it’s 1 am.” He cuts him off mid-speech, and pretends to not have noticed Bokuto’s figure slightly deflating at the straightforward rejection. 

“You could stay over?” He tries one more time, voice softening. 

“That...” Akaashi pauses, trying to find the right words to rebuke. God, his face feels hot. “... Is definitely a no from me.” He finally finishes. Bokuto slumps in defeat. Is he crazy? Does he ask random co-workers to stay the night at his place all the time? Is this normal? 

He still couldn’t fathom how someone with a _boyfriend_ could ask another man such request, especially when said man is his boyfriend’s best friend. He is most definitely _not_ doing this to Kuroo. Akaashi has made up his mind, he isn’t falling for those puppy eyes this time. 

Bokuto opens his mouth to say something, but closes it after. 

“Oh, right. Guess I’ll get going then.” He watches as Bokuto’s sad-looking back retreats from his workspace. “See you tomorrow, ‘Kaashi.” Akaashi watches him collect his items, his horned owl hairdo suddenly looking flat and uncharacteristically deflated. Bokuto spares him one last pitying look, and oh my god. Those sad, puppy eyes were looking straight through his soul. 

He swears he’s doing it on purpose. 

And what was Akaashi supposed to do? Say no? 

“Wait.” He says in resignation. He swears to god, or whatever greater power exists above him; this man will be the death of him. Bokuto perks up, as if he was waiting for him to say that all along. _Cheeky bastard_. He looks back, eyes hopeful. “Since I still have some work left to do anyway, why don’t we do the discussions right here, right now?” 

Akaashi curses his lack of resolve. 

(Well, this can still be considered office hours, right?) 

He tries (and fails) to hide the smile on his face at Bokuto’s overly-enthusiastic whoop. 

*** 

The clock strikes 2 and Bokuto could hear Akaashi’s rushed footsteps outside the room, probably looking for him. He turns over to his phone and begins talking in a rushed whisper. 

“Kuroo! I asked Akaashi to replace you as my partner for Unsolved, just like you said I should, and he said yes!” Bokuto nearly screams the last part, unable to contain himself. “We’ll be doing an overnight episode together!” He (very nearly) squeals, feels his heart leaping right out of his ribcage because _oh my god, an overnight episode with The Akaashi Keiji_. He feels faint. 

_“No way bro, congrats!”_ He hears Kuroo say from the other end of the line. He feels light, in way over the moon at the mere thought of spending more time with Akaashi outside working hours. _“Okay, so the first step of our plan has worked. Now let’s move on to the second phase!”_ He hears Kuroo’s voice boom through the speaker. 

“Which is?” Bokuto straightens up, suddenly serious. 

_“I don’t know, I thought of everything so far. It’s your turn now.”_ He sighs. 

“Gee, thanks for your help.” 

_“Wait, where are you right now? It’s like, 2 am.”_

“Now? I’m in the—” Right in that moment, the door swings open, revealing a confused looking Akaashi. Light enters the tiny, dark closet and Bokuto has to shield his eyes from the sudden change in brightness. 

“Bokuto-san? What are you doing in the janitor’s closet? I thought you went to the bathroom.” Akaashi speaks up, tilting his head to the side. Bokuto fumbles for his phone, knocking over a couple of brooms in the process. 

“Oh shit, I gotta go man, see ya.” He says, through hushed whispers. 

_“Is that Akaashi? Tell him I said hi! Bye, love you, Bo!”_ Kuroo speeds through the words. 

“Love you too, bye.” He hangs up, and turns back to see Akaashi. “Sorry, had a… an emergency call back there.” He looks up to see Akaashi, staring back at him with an unreadable expression (to be frank, all of his expressions are unreadable to Bokuto, but that won’t be the case once he gets to know him better, right?). 

The man sighs, before turning away. He could’ve sworn he saw what looked to be a tinge of annoyance (or was it resignation? Disappointment? Exhaustion? He still can’t tell) coloring his expression. 

At what, Bokuto just can’t seem to put his fingers on it. 

“Was that…” He lets his voice trace off to silence, before shaking his head lightly. “Nevermind. Let’s just get this done.” Akaashi mutters quietly, exhaustion lacing his tone. Bokuto follows his footsteps quietly. What was he about to say? Why’d he cut himself off short like that? 

His instincts suddenly scream that he has made a mistake. Had he annoyed him somehow? Or maybe he offended him without realizing so? Because he sounded a lot more irritable then. 

Maybe it was because he had left him for an unannounced closet rendezvous? There were too much thoughts swimming around his head and too little space. 

He lets out a sudden gasp. Or maybe Akaashi just gets cranky past midnight? Bokuto shakes off the thought immediately. That couldn’t possibly be the case, that would make him even cuter than he already is and that’s just impossible (and illegal, he decides. His poor heart is at stake here). 

“Bokuto-san.” He hears him call for him from the outside. He immediately fumbles out of the closet, closing the door behind him and lightly jog towards the main office. He pads over to where Akaashi sits on his desk and pulls up a seat next to him. 

The office lights are dim, barely lit, and there was no one else in the room except for the two of them. Bokuto feels his palms getting clammier each passing second. 

“Alright then, where do we start?” Akaashi begins, a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. Bokuto stares at him a beat too long because damn, he’s really prepared, isn’t he? He almost feels bad because he got there with nothing more than a really vague idea, and a really massive crush. Nothing more. “Bokuto-san? You’re spacing out.” 

“O-oh.” He snaps back to reality, suddenly not knowing where to look. “Hmm… Well Kuroo and I usually decide on where we want to do the episode in first.” 

“Do you have any idea where we should do it?” Bokuto hums, thinking. He actually has a lot of places he could think of going for the episode, but since it’s going to be his and Akaashi’s first, he wants it to be special. 

“I was thinking of doing something new, actually.” Bokuto eventually says. 

“Which is?” 

“You know how we’ve always visited famous haunted places? Like, ones that already have a reputation for being haunted?” Akaashi nods, slowly. “Well, I was thinking, maybe the ghosts in those places are professionals! Which is why they’re so hard to document!” The two stares at each other for the longest of time, before Akaashi eventually shakes his head in defeat. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m getting you. Professional in what, exactly?” 

“In making sure their existence don’t get discovered by humans! Have you ever thought that maybe, ghosts and paranormal beings don’t want people to know they exist? Which is why they’ve never blatantly showed themselves on camera? Well I hypothesize, that maybe, they know we’re out there trying to bust their asses and show it to the world! So they choose not to do anything when we’re around with our fancy ghost-busting gadgets!” He finishes his explanation, heaving, somewhat proud to have managed to slip in the word ‘hypothesize’ in his lengthy sentence. 

That’s a big word right there. He wonders if he used it correctly. 

Akaashi hums, and Bokuto wonders if a single word he had said managed to get through to him. 

“So, you’re thinking of trying to bust amateur ghosts, is that it? By investigating less famous haunted places?” Akaashi tilts his head slightly, confusion still clouding his expressions. Bokuto gasps, suddenly elated. It isn’t often that someone understands his lingo in such short time, and the fact that Akaashi managed to sum up his important points made him exceptionally happy. 

“Exactly! Yes, that’s it!” Bokuto laughs, patting the man on his shoulder. “As expected of Akaashi! You sure catch on fast.” Bokuto might have been imagining it but he could have sworn he saw Akaashi’s eyes shift, his face tinted in slight red. “So I was thinking that we investigate normal houses currently being lived in by normal people for the new supernatural season! No place grand or historical!” 

“I see. That does seem interesting. Also, it would be much easier to gather information and signs of strange activities happening in the household, since we can just do an interview with the owner.” 

“See? I’m a factory of good ideas!” He says outloud, without so much as a thought. 

“That you are, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi chuckles in reply, jotting something down on the notepad in his hand. 

Bokuto reels back, and wishes he didn’t because did Akaashi Keiji just chuckle? Did _he_ just make him chuckle? He barely ever see the man smile and oh my god, that noise he just made? Bokuto short-circuited; his last brain cell going into overdrive. 

Imagine what he would sound like laughing. 

Oh my god. Imagine _making_ him _laugh_. 

“It’s getting really late. I think we should wrap up for the day and continue tomorrow. We have the main focus of the show ready, I think we’ll be good.” 

“Akaashi.” Bokuto calls out, his voice uncharacteristically low. _It’s now or never_. He thinks to himself. His hands find its way to Akaashi’s shoulders, holding him steady. 

Akaashi’s eyes widen in surprise, fear and worry clouding his expression. 

“Y-yes?” 

“Do you need an ark?” 

“An ark?” His voice cracks (Bokuto finds it cute). He waits a beat before finally saying; 

“Because I Noah guy.” 

Silence. 

It seems as if the entire room has been put on mute. Bokuto waits. He stares at Akaashi’s unwavering expression, wondering if he had managed to tell the joke right and waits for a response. Somehow, he seems even more deadpan then. 

“Right.” Akaashi stands, picking up his bag from underneath the desk, before turning back to face him. “Well, I’ll be heading off first.” He does a really quick, slight bow and prepares to leave. 

“Akaashi! You’re supposed to laugh at that!” He says, probably a little too loud. Akaashi barely flinches. He quickly turns away, seemingly intent on hiding his face from Bokuto’s view. 

“See you tomorrow, Bokuto-san.” 

And the next thing he knew, he’s alone again. 

Bokuto sighs, knowing it isn’t going to be easy (knowing exactly because it’s Akaashi and no one else, it isn’t going to be easy). He begins packing for his things, slightly demotivated. 

But then the image of those brilliant dark eyes (tinted with a slight shade of emerald green, as he has come to notice) comes back to view. His mind reels towards what his laughter would sound like, what those half-lidded eyes would look like pulled up into a pair or crescents, lips stretched in a genuine smile. 

And he feels his heart skip a beat. 

  
  


Unbeknownst to him, Akaashi barely made it five steps from the office, resting his back on the wall behind him, face flushed red. He wipes the corner of his lips with his sleeves, suddenly self-conscious. 

The tiny voice in his head coos, as if jeering at his misfortune; _“you’re in for trouble now.”_

  
  


And maybe, just maybe, their hearts were beating in the exact same rhythm that moment. 

  
  


2\. 

“Akaashi. I just remembered something super important.” 

“What is it, Bokuto-san?” 

“I’ve never asked you this, but do you believe in ghosts?” Akaashi looks up from where he sits, straight towards Bokuto’s large, inquiring eyes. He wonders for a moment how his companion had forgotten to ask him such important question; considering he’d decided to make him feature in an unsolved episode. 

“I do.” He answers; clipped. 

“Is that it? No further explanation?” Akaashi bites his lip, thinking, before finally shaking his head. “Hmm. Up until now, Kuroo and I have always bickered about the existence of the paranormal. Apparently, our chemistry as a sceptic and a believer made unsolved a lot more popular with watchers. I’ve never worked with a fellow believer before, this is going to be fun!” Bokuto lets out a huge, almost blinding grin. 

At this, he lets out a small chuckle. 

“You’re both hard-headed, petty and have completely opposing views in this matter. I’m not surprised many subscribed just to watch you two try to kill each other every episode.” Akaashi smiles, almost as if his mimetic muscles were on auto-pilot.

He still remembers the first time he watched the very first pilot episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved (mainly because his childhood friend starred in it), and how hard the entire episode had made him laugh. Of course he didn’t admit so to Kuroo the next day. Nor did he ask him anything about the white-streak-haired, buff, owl-like companion of his (as much as he had wanted to). 

Bokuto’s mouth makes an ‘o’ form, his eyes suddenly glowing. Akaashi pushes his gaze down, back to the pile of paper on his table. 

“Do you think you should pretend to be a sceptic instead? We could recreate some of our old iconic banters.” Bokuto suggests, and a feeling of unexplained sorrow washes over Akaashi. As if they could recreate Bokuto and Kuroo’s iconic moments together. Akaashi barely knows Bokuto well enough, they wouldn’t have enough chemistry to do that (yet). 

Plus, Akaashi isn’t Kuroo (or anything remotely like him) and he knows that. 

“I don’t think that would be necessary, Bokuto-san.” He finally answers. “That would make the show seem too forced and unauthentic. We should just stick to what we have. Besides, it might not look like it but I’m actually pretty excited to get paranormal evidences myself.” Hearing his answer, Bokuto makes a noise akin to an owl’s hoot, startling Akaashi. 

“Awesome! I often get side-tracked whenever I’m with Kuroo, so we never usually find anything in any place we went to.” He makes a feigned pout, and maybe, Akaashi feels his heart stopping for a quarter of a millisecond. 

“I can tell. Although that may just be him trying to distract you from gathering proofs of paranormal beings to protect his reputation of being a sceptic. He’s crafty like that.” Akaashi snickers, as uncharacteristic as it was for him to do. Bokuto’s eyes widen, almost as if he was caught off guard. 

“You… sure know a lot about unsolved. Were you an avid watcher?” He tilts his head in question. 

“I wouldn’t call it avid… But I have watched some of the episodes.” _The ones you’re in anyways._ He wanted to add, but settles not to (because what good would that do him anyway?). Bokuto pulls himself back in surprise, slamming an arm on the wooden table before him. Akaashi braces himself for him to scream or make a loud noise of sorts. 

“No way! Which one’s your favorite episode?!” Bokuto (as Akaashi has predicted) half-screams. He thinks for a moment. 

“The one where you two went to the Doll Island.” _Keep a straight face. Keep a straight face. Don’t let it show that you’re only watching the show because he’s in it. Keep a straight face._

“Nice choice. I really liked that episode as well. We were so close to documenting evidences, you should’ve seen Kuroo’s face.” Bokuto laughs, thunderous. _You should have seen your face._

Akaashi finds himself smiling, mind reeling back to Bokuto’s terrified expression at the sight of something knocking over a couple of dolls in a chain reaction in the background (no kidding, the man looked as if he nearly pissed himself then). “You’re smiling.” Bokuto chides, breaking him from his train of thoughts. 

“Kuroo was hilarious.” He dodges instead, erasing all traces of a smile off his face, returning to his usual borderline bored expression. He catches Bokuto looking down, a small pout tugging his lips. He looks like he’s on the verge of another sulk. 

(And God, does he want to kiss him) 

Akaashi looks out the window of the cafe, straight towards the blue skies ahead. It’s a peaceful Saturday and he briefly wonders what he’s doing in the cafe ten blocks away from home, working, with the man he promised not to spend another second with outside of work. 

Then again, there isn’t much he can do about it anyways, since their supervisor had asked that they move up the deadline of the season premiere of the new unsolved episode up to a week. 

They’re bound to have to get it done outside working hours. 

The two spends the next five minutes or so in total silence, Bokuto sipping his milkshake loudly and Akaashi typing on his laptop, intent on acting indifferent, when Bokuto finally breaks the silence. 

“Konoha’s okay with us using his house by the way.” He says, raising his head. Akaashi hums in acknowledgement. “Convenient how someone we know so well actually have demons investing their house.” 

“We don’t know if they’re actual demons, though.” 

“Well I hope they’re demons anyway.” Bokuto childishly says, his eyes brilliant and lips curled into a small grin. 

“Cursing your own co-worker to live in a demon-infested house is quite cruel, you know?” Akaashi lets out a small laugh. Bokuto pauses for a moment, before continuing as if he hadn’t heard him at all. 

“Konoha said that the haunting has been worsening lately, he’s actually thinking about moving out.” 

“He is?” Akaashi’s eyes widen in surprise. He doesn’t take his senior to be the type of person to be fazed by such thing to the point of moving away. Then again, he doesn’t know how bad things are at his place, so he shouldn’t so hastily judge. 

“Yeah, to an apartment a few blocks away.” 

“Must be really bad then, huh?” 

“Which is why I have a good feeling we’ll find plenty of interesting stuff there!” 

“Bokuto-san, we shouldn’t be profiting off his misery like this.” 

“We’re not profiting off his misery! We’re providing him a solution! A way out!” Bokuto closes the distance between them, and stops once he’s mere inches away from Akaashi’s face. “The ghoul boys don’t only bust ghosts, we get rid of them as well!” He says, excitement present in his tone. Akaashi’s breath hitches. They were so close, he could see his reflection on Bokuto’s round gold-specked eyes. For once, he stands firm on his ground. 

“How are you going to get rid of them if you haven’t even confirmed they exist?” He doesn’t miss a beat, enjoys the look of utter desperation in Bokuto’s face after, but misses their physical proximity once the man pulls away. 

“Akaashi!” He drawls his name, long and;. loud. “You’re supposed to support me on that one! You’re a believer too aren’t you?!” Akaashi smiles, fond, picking up a pen and writing down new ideas on their manuscript draft. He purposely ignores the irritated glances thrown their way by others in the cafe. 

“Let’s get back to work.” 

He finds it difficult to erase his smile after. 

*** 

“Bro! Akaashi and I had this amazing date at this cafe!” Bokuto rolls on his stomach, staring at the screen of his laptop from where he lies on his single bed, munching on a bag of chips. He could hear Kuroo’s whistle from the other end of the line. 

“Sweet. But are you sure it was a date, and not a work related meet-up?” Bokuto sits up, furrowing his brows in confusion. 

“Nuh uh! It was definitely a date! I made him laugh a couple of times.” 

“Dude, Akaashi laughs at sports bloopers and cat videos. Do better.” He could sense Kuroo’s mocking tone through the speaker. He huffs up his chest and raises his voice. 

“Everyone laughs at sports bloopers and cat videos!” Bokuto nearly screams the words out of his mouth. “It’s 100% a date! We even shared a parfait!” He insists. 

“Did you? Did you really?” He pauses for a moment. Bokuto’s ego couldn’t take such huge blow as telling Kuroo that it was him who tasted a spoonful of Akaashi’s strawberry parfait when the man left his seat to go to the toilet. 

To be fair, Bokuto’s pretty sure that if they had actually shared a parfait, he wouldn’t be where he is then; alive and breathing. They would have had to carry him out of the café in a stretcher. 

“Whatever man. You weren’t even there. What do you know?” 

“I was just talking with Akaashi on the phone, actually. He said it was ‘strictly professional’.” Kuroo merely says, suddenly sounding bored. 

Oh. 

Bokuto could hear the sound of something breaking. 

Ouch. 

“Really? He said that?” He tries to mask his disappointment. It’s been a whole month since he first asked Akaashi to be his new partner. He felt like he’s been making plenty of advances. He’s gotten so much closer to him too. Did he take it as nothing more than a job? Is he nothing more than his office-cubicle-neighbor? That’s just depressing. 

“Wait, don’t be sad Bo. You still have plenty of chances.” Kuroo quickly picked up on his distress. 

“I’ve been hanging out a lot with him the past month. Were all of those _strictly professional_ too?” 

“Well, the only times you decide to ask him out is to do work, so of course he’d think it’s ‘strictly professional’. Akaashi’s just that type of person. He might seem smart, but unless you lay it out on him word by word, he would never understand.” Kuroo finishes with a tiny laughter. “He’s as big of a dumbass as you are, that’s what I’m trying to say.” Bokuto gasps, loud and exaggerated. 

“You take that back bro. Akaashi is the smartest, most intelligent being to ever grace this Earth. How dare you say that about him?” 

“I’ve known him for years so trust me; underneath all that cool-guy composure, is an oblivious dumbass. You guys are perfect for each other.” Kuroo yawns, and Bokuto wonders what part of Akaashi screams ‘dumbass’ or ‘oblivious’ to his friend. He’s the most reserved, calm and cool-headed person he’s known, and if Akaashi is a dumbass, what would that make him? “What you should do, is ask him out on a date date. Be blunt about it. Straight to the point. Easy.” 

Bokuto groans, loud and miserable. 

“It’s not that easy.” He feigns a sob. “It just seems so impossible to talk to him about anything other than work. One time, I tried to talk to him about my favorite yoga pose when we were at work, and he told me that he had left his phone at the washroom and stepped out. His phone was lying on his desk, Kuroo. And he didn’t even return for an hour or so!” 

“You brought that upon yourself. No one wants to hear about anyone’s favorite yoga pose.” He replies curtly. There are a few shifts from the other end of the line, and he could faintly hear a soft voice somewhere in the background of the noise. “Hold on a sec.” Kuroo mumbles. 

“Wait, are you with Kenma right now?” 

“Yep. We’re going to watch a movie together after this.” 

“Lucky.” He pouts, imagining what it would feel like going on a movie date with Akaashi. 

“Aw, don’t worry man. Once you’re dating Akaashi, we can all go on a double date or something.” _That’s a nice thought._ He thinks quietly, sitting up. He crosses his legs and props his laptop up on his lap, browsing different pictures of spirit boxes. 

“Oh by the way, have you told Akaashi about you and Kenma?” 

“Not yet. We’re still pretty new with this whole going out thing, and we want to keep things nice and slow, you know? Besides, Akaashi seems pretty occupied lately, barely could focus on anything I’m saying.” Bokuto hums in response. He doesn’t want to overextend his boundaries and accidentally break the news to Akaashi. He’s in no position to do so. 

“Uh huh. Akaashi’s your best friend, he should hear it first from you.” 

“True that.” He could hear Kuroo talking with Kenma on the other end of the line, their voices suddenly distant and incoherent. “Listen Bo, I gotta go. I’ll call you again tomorrow. Take him on a nice date! Buy him roses or whatever, bye!” Before he could say another word, Kuroo disconnects the call, leaving Bokuto and his own massive heap of thoughts. 

He sighs, plumping back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. 

He wonders what he’s been doing wrong, because as far as he’s concern, he’s been throwing all the greenlights at Akaashi, ever since they’d met. Kuroo had introduced them to each other before resigning from Buzzfeed, and boy, was Bokuto _smitten_. He was pretty sure it was love at first sight. 

Akaashi was polite and soft-spoken, and his voice was something Bokuto could definitely get used to hearing more. He liked the smoothness of it, the calm of his tone and the meekness of his voice. And he was _beautiful_. He had Bokuto completely under a trance the entire experience. 

And he’d made a complete and utter fool of himself in front of him. 

Kuroo caught on fast, of course. He’d teased him about his obvious crush on the guy in the weeks after, much to his displeasure. Bokuto thought it would go away eventually, but then Akaashi just had to be placed to work in a cubicle right next to his, and of course, he just has to be the most caring, kind and thoughtful person he’d ever met. 

He makes time to help Bokuto finish up his works (even though he was supposed to be the senior one here), tends to him while he goes on one of his mood-swings and down-lows, and he listens to his stories and complaints with unparalleled amount of patience. He’s gentle and genuine; he works hard and is favoured by his co-workers and teammates. And to top it all off, he even has the looks that would put the God Adonis himself to shame. 

How the fuck was he not supposed to fall head over heels for the guy? 

Fondness turned into something else completely real quick. 

And soon, he finds himself staring at him way too often in between breaks, wondering what it would feel like to card his fingers through his dark hair and pull him in for a kiss, or what his laughter would sound like muffled into the crook of his neck. And fuck, this has gotten way, way past mere physical attraction. 

He lets out another long, smitten sigh. 

Must be nice to have a boyfriend. He’d met Kuroo’s boyfriend a couple of times already. He goes by Kozume Kenma, and he’s the tiniest little guy Bokuto’s ever seen (especially when he stands next to Kuroo’s gigantic ass, that tall motherfucker). Kenma is nice, and he seems like a good boyfriend to him. They go on a lot of movie dates together, and he somehow manages to keep Kuroo in check (something Bokuto was sure no mere mortal could ever achieve of doing, so he respects him for that). 

And the more he watches Kuroo and Kenma, the more he wishes that he and Akaashi could be something like that to each other. 

He shakes his head, willing the negativity to disappear. He glances at the calendar hung above his bed, at tomorrow’s date circled in bright red marker, the words _‘overnight episode w/ Akaaaashi!!!’_ scribbled messily next to it. 

He’s not going to mess this up. He promises silently.

  
  


3\. 

Akaashi shudders, wondering what on earth he’s doing there in the middle of the night on the pedestrian walk of a housing three buses away from his apartment. He looks to the left, where Bokuto and Konoha stands, chattering with one another. Komi and the camera crew are tinkering with the equipment, while he himself stand rooted on his spot a blanket around his shoulders and a clipped document in his hand. 

It’s cold. 

He looks back to the house looming tall behind him. Konoha’s two-story looks way more eerie than it does under the sun. He begins to wonder whether or not this was a good idea, especially after what he’d seen this morning when he’d visited the house with Bokuto. 

They had visited the house in the morning, with Konoha leading the way and showing them some of the most haunted spots of his house. They’d stepped inside one of the guest bedrooms upstairs when Akaashi had seen it. 

It was a tiny, shadow standing by the peripheral of his vision. It was no taller than a little child, and was blurred around the edges, peeking out the long drapes on the far end of the room. 

And Akaashi felt himself shudder and paled. He quickly turned his head to find… nothing. And it probably was nothing, nothing more than a figment of his imagination, or a manifestation of all the visual imageries Konoha had described to him prior. It’s his mind playing tricks on him, that’s got to be it. 

But still, it rattled him. 

He hadn't had this sort of experience for years now. 

“Akaashi, you’re spacing out?” Akaashi jumps when Bokuto speaks up from behind him. His hand unconsciously travels to his chest in surprise. This incites a very much irritating grin to form on the other man’s lips. “Wait, don’t tell me, are you scared?” He teases. Akaashi feels his face redden. 

“No, I—” He flounders. 

“I’m just kidding, man. Loosen up.” Bokuto laughs, and Akaashi briefly wanted to smack him through the head. “Besides, you’ve got me! There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” The teasing grin morphs into something akin to a gentle, sincere smile. He instantly feels warm, and oh, would you look at that? Akaashi’s heart skipped ten beats. 

“It’s not that, Bokuto-san.” He grumbles to his scarf. 

“Nervous? Hey, just pretend the camera’s not here, okay?” Bokuto slaps his back, making him trip on his own feet after. “Come on. This’ll be fun!” He shoots him a cheeky grin after, yanking him by his wrist towards the front of the house. Akaashi’s thankful for the dark. He wouldn’t want anyone seeing how much of a mess his face is right then. 

“Right.” He chokes out lamely. He has to get this over with quick. 

They wait for a couple more while in silence, until eventually Komi brings the camera over. 

“Alright, we’re on in 3, 2, 1!” Komi calls out, and the light on the camera flashes on. This is the first time ever Akaashi has ever been in front of the camera in all the months he’s worked at Buzzfeed, he almost lets himself feel nervous. 

Bokuto starts talking, the way he always does, radiant and full of life. Akaashi couldn’t help but stare. He doesn’t get a single word into his mind, but the image of Bokuto vibrantly talking about the hauntings in Konoha’s house shouldn’t be this attractive in his eyes. His eyes seem to glow, and there’s something gleaming about his entire presence. 

It was almost like watching a single star grow brighter and brighter, swallowing the dark surrounding it. 

“Akaashi?” His heart stops. He blinks at Bokuto for a couple of while, only then realizing he was talking to him (and that he’s still on camera). “Do you want to introduce yourself to the camera?” 

“Oh, right.” _Shit_. He completely missed his cue. 

God, this is going to be a long night. 

*** 

They stopped recording after a while of exploring each section of the house. It was exhausting, to say the least, especially considering he hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep days prior to the investigation. 

He glances to his right, to where Bokuto is cheerfully unpacking his backpack, laying down his sleeping bag right next to the couch. 

“You can take the couch, Akaashi!” 

“Um, that won’t be necessary Bokuto-san. I brought a sleeping bag along myself. You can take the couch.” He tries to smile, but he’s sure it didn’t come out the way he wanted it to. Bokuto stares at him through large, questioning eyes, before breaking into his usual 3000-watt smile. 

“Then how about we both sleep on the floor?” He pats the space right next to his sleeping bag, and Akaashi wants to bash his head through the window. “Come here, let me unpack your sleeping bag as well!” Akaashi was just about to retort when he hears footsteps and chatter, right outside the living room. 

“Alright, so there’s frozen pizza in the fridge and use the bathroom on the second floor for hot water.” Konoha says aloud, and suddenly, Akaashi is sprinting towards the front door. “Call us if anything gets too freaky.” His eyes widen when he notices both Komi and Konoha already stepping out of the house. 

“Wait, you’re both leaving?” Akaashi pales, the tremble in his voice audible. The two merely stare at him from the front door, already dressed and ready to bail. 

“Uhh… yeah? You’re not expecting me to sleep over with you two, are you?” Komi knits his brows. Akaashi shoots him a look that says ‘yes, that is exactly what I expected of you’. He merely laughs in response, waving his hand. “No way, I’m just the camera guy.” 

“Yeah, but we need the camera guy.” It took all the willpower inside of Akaashi not to reach out, grab a fistful of Komi’s shirt, and beg him to stay. He might be slipping on self-control but he most definitely still have his dignity intact. 

“Not on overnight episodes. Komi usually goes home before midnight.” Bokuto calls out, suddenly already behind him. He’s wearing a black tank top and grey shorts, and Akaashi feels himself spiralling. “We just need a couple of GoPro cams, CCTV cameras, to record ourselves and more cameras placed here and there around the house, and we’re set to go. The ghoulies won’t even see it coming!” Bokuto laughs, his signature, boisterous laughter; completely oblivious of the dilemma going through Akaashi’s head. 

“Well, fine, but what about Konoha-san? You live here, you don’t have to spend the night elsewhere.” Akaashi hates sounding so desperate but he can’t let them leave him to sleep under the same roof as Bokuto. 

“Uhh… I really don’t feel like sleeping here tonight. I want to get a good night sleep for once, you feel? And the whole stomping in the middle of the night, blankets being pulled off my body, night terrors and sleep paralyses are kind of ruining that for me.” Konoha lets out a wry laugh, scratching at the back of his head. 

Akaashi ought to feel bad for the guy, but he just couldn’t bring himself to. Instead, he finds himself cursing the guy years of bad luck in his head. 

“Hey, hey, Akaashi. Why’re you so stressed out all of a sudden? You still have me, you know?” Bokuto pokes him from the side and Akaashi lets out an uncharacteristic yelp. He looks down, trying to avoid staring too much into golden eyes (and oh hey look, grey, owl-painted shorts!). He tears his eyes completely away from the man. 

He swallows, feeling something heavy tug at his throat. 

“Yeah. Yeah okay.” 

*** 

Bokuto shifts and turns inside the confines of his sleeping bag. He opens his mouth countless times, only to close it mere seconds after, finding himself at lost for words. 

“So, uh… this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said that we can both sleep on the floor.” Bokuto finally speaks up, summoning all the courage he has in his body to conquer the uncomfortable rally of silence that’s been going on ever since Konoha and Komi left the house. 

“What do you mean, Bokuto-san?” He hears Akaashi call out. Bokuto turns his head, looking for a pair of green eyes in the dark. There’s no point, he couldn’t even see Akaashi’s face. It’s completely obstructed by a slab of hard wood. 

Because standing tall and mighty between his and Akaashi’s sleeping bag, is none other than Konoha’s sturdy, vintage coffee table. 

“I mean, why is this coffee table… here?” The coffee table wasn’t in the living room prior to the night. It was (and had always been) outside, right next to the bathroom by the staircase. 

Akaashi had dragged it to the living room himself when Bokuto had been in the toilet, and had placed it right in between their sleeping bags (which, Bokuto had initially arranged to be 0 inches apart). 

“It’s convenient.” Akaashi replies, silent. 

“Convenient how?!” He sits up, suddenly frustrated. “I can’t even see you!” He cranes his neck to look over the coffee table. Akaashi sits up, and only then can Bokuto make out the outline of his dishevelled dark hair. 

“I mean, you can put all of the midnight snacks and soft drinks you’ve brought on top of the table, and voila, we have a feast.” Akaashi dumps a dozen or so bags of chips atop the coffee table. The mountain pile of junk food atop the table made it impossible to spot even a hair on Akaashi’s head. 

“That’s just ridiculous, you just don’t want to see my face anywhere near you the entire night!” He cries out in retaliation. Akaashi pauses for a moment, and Bokuto briefly thinks he’s won him over. 

“You’re right.” He eventually says, deadpan. 

“You’re supposed to say _‘that’s not true, Bokuto-san!’_ ” 

“You shouldn’t be so loud, Bokuto-san. The spirits might hear you.” Akaashi slithers back inside his sleeping bag, disappearing from his view. Bokuto sighs, before lying back down. Well, at least they have the entire night to talk. He looks up the ceiling form where he lies. 

“Say, Akaashi, what time is it?” 

“11:09.” 

“What do you say we start at midnight?” Bokuto tries to stall. He’d much rather spend the entire night talking to Akaashi rather than catch fucking ghosts. Don’t get him wrong, he loves his job. But this might be the only chance he’ll ever get of spending so much time alone with Akaashi outside of workplace and like hell is he going to waste the opportunity. 

“So, have you ever seen one?” The words slip out of Bokuto’s lips before he could even process what they mean. Sensing Akaashi’s confused stare through the dark, he. Quickly continues; “a ghost, I mean.” He doesn’t where the question came from, but whatever gets the conversation going. He turns his head, and finds emerald eyes already trained on him. 

Akaashi hums in consideration. 

“No.” He answers, clipped. “If you’re asking me if I’ve seen an actual apparition, then I don’t think I have.” 

Bokuto waits, because he’s pretty sure there’s going to be a continuation. 

“But you believe they exist?” 

“I do.” He sees a faint hint of a smile. Akaashi doesn’t smile too often but when he does, fireworks go off in his chest. Bokuto stares and wonders all that go through his head. 

“Do you want to elaborate on that?” He teases, trying to prolong the conversation, expecting another short, half-hearted answer. 

“My grandma died when I was 9 years old. We were really close.” The sudden shift in conversation brings Bokuto back to reality. _Shit, not at all how he thought the conversation would go._ He was about to apologize when Akaashi opens his mouth to continue. “A couple of days after she’d died, I kept seeing her in my dreams. Or at least I was pretty sure they were dreams, I don’t remember much about them now. But every night for a week straight, she was always in my room, the same smile on her face, watching over me. It felt as if she never left, as if nothing had changed. We sometimes talk, but I’d always wake up the next morning in a world she apparently doesn’t exist in anymore.” He notices the tiny smile adoring the corners of his lips, and maybe this might just be the first time Bokuto has ever seen him so honest. 

“Thinking about it now, I should have been scared. But all I remember now is how safe I had felt that entire week. How her presence made me feel as if she never truly left.” 

“That’s… really nice of her, isn’t it?” Again, the words came out of his mouth before he’d even given it a second thought. Akaashi turns to look at him from the side. This time, Bokuto slithers out of his sleeping bag and drags himself across the rug, moving beneath the coffee table to settle right next to Akaashi, looking him dead in the eyes. “I mean, the fact that she was looking out for you, making sure you were alright even in death. I think it’s very sweet of her.” Bokuto shoots him a smile, and briefly wonders if the lights were playing tricks on his mind or if it was an actual flush across Akaashi’s cheeks. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He looks up at the ceiling, deliberately avoiding his gaze. A small, contemplative smile blooms across his lips. “You’re the first person to say that, actually. Everyone else had always thought the story creepy.” Bokuto feels his heartbeat pace, catching his breath. “Humans like to pretend we have it all figured out, but in truth, there’s just too much we still don’t understand. And besides… Isn’t more interesting to pretend they exist? To know that there’s something even after death?” 

“I totally see where you’re coming from.” Bokuto cheekily laughs. 

“What about you, Bokuto-san? Have you ever seen one before?” 

“Nope. But I had a lot of weird shit happen to me when I was younger.” He casually says. “I’ve always been interested in the occult, so I spent most of my adolescence visiting famous haunted spots even before joining Buzzfeed. Saw shadows and had things mysteriously moved at night but that’s about it. Still pretty cool though.” 

And the conversation flows, just like that. They began talking about nothing and everything all at the same time, and through it all, not once had Bokuto let his eyes stray away from Akaashi. He never noticed how beautiful Akaashi’s eyes were. No, that’s not right. He’s always been mesmerized by the pair of emerald green eyes. But seeing them within this close of a proximity, he notices the specks of grey in them. They were unlike anything he's ever seen in his life. 

When the antique (creepy) grand clock by the kitchen chimes its' heavy, baritone rings, Bokuto realizes how much time had passed. They should have ended the conversation and begin setting up the equipment an hour ago, hell, it's way past midnight already. He was also the first to realize how much closer they've become in proximity, how close enough he was to map out and memorize each grey fleck upon emerald eyes, even in the dark. They were breathtaking, vividly glowing with every word Akaashi was saying. 

And he briefly thinks; to hell with the equipments. 

They were still lying on the ground by Konoha’s couch, inches apart. Akaashi’s body still neatly tucked in his sleeping bag while Bokuto lies on his side facing him, his whole body lying beneath the vintage coffee table. 

And before he knows it, their faces were inches apart. Akaashi was talking animatedly about… Bokuto isn’t sure, he’s tuned out of the conversation a while ago. All he knows is that he’s been overcome by a terrifyingly huge urge to kiss him, right then and there. Akaashi’s eyes catches his for a split second, and as if his body had been on autopilot, 

Bokuto leans in, propping himself up with arm and closes the distance between them. Akaashi stares as he catches his lips onto his, softly. He closes his eyes, his other hand travelling to grip at Akaashi’s hair, steadying him. His mind was a blank canvas, and for a moment, it feels as if he was floating on air. 

Akaashi lets out a tiny surprised noise, and his whole body immediately tenses beneath his hold. 

Bokuto tightens his grip on his hair, deepening the kiss, and he couldn’t help but think of how perfectly they fit in on another, and how nice Akaashi’s lips feels against him. It feels right, perfect even. 

He could drop dead right then and there and he wouldn’t have a single regret. 

He feels Akaashi’s body slack, and was prepared to be shoved away. 

But then Akaashi starts kissing back, slow and gentle, albeit unsure. And holy fucking hell, _he’s kissing Akaashi Keiji._

  
  


4\. 

For a second, Akaashi lets himself get swayed and allows himself to feel utter bliss. He falls and lets go, the last bit of self-control flying out of his system. 

And the next second, he feels like throwing up. 

No. No. No. 

The words _Kuroo’s_ and _boyfriend_ keep repeating themselves in his head, and oh my fucking God, he’s _kissing him_. He’s kissing Bokuto Koutarou. 

Akaashi lets out a yelp, before pushing him away, breaking the kiss. His breath feels heavy, erratic. His entire body feels like it’s on fire, and yet something rotten seems to settle at the pit of his stomach. He looks away, wiping at his lips. He hears him call for his name, but couldn’t bring himself to look. The aftertaste of shame and regret lingering on his lips. 

Bokuto had pulled away so fast, his head had bumped onto the top of the coffee table with a loud thud. 

“What is wrong with you?” Akaashi raises his voice, much to his own surprise. Bokuto stutters, blinking in confusion, but the guilt is far too overbearing for him to stop. “Why the fuck did you do that?” And he knows it isn’t fair, because _he had kissed him back_. He had kissed Bokuto Koutarou back. He knows he’s just as much wrong as Bokuto is in all this. And yet he couldn’t help feeling angry, couldn’t help but let the anger 

“What, you mean kiss you?” Bokuto’s eyes blow wide open. “I thought—” He stops himself short, and Akaashi feels an unreasonable sort of fury course within him. 

“What? What did you think?” He challenges, watching as Bokuto shell-shocked expression turn into one of horror. 

“I thought you might have been into me.” Bokuto replies, his voice low. And he had been so sincere and genuine in saying those words that Akaashi couldn’t help but feel his heart break. “I uhh… I’m sorry, I must’ve took it the wrong way. I’m really sorry.” Bokuto looks genuinely guilt-stricken. 

“Bokuto-san.” He says, voice low. “Please don’t apologize.” He sighs in defeat, unsure of the right thing to say. He should be angry, God knows he should; if not to himself, then to Bokuto, who had so easily kissed his boyfriend’s best friend. But he couldn’t bring himself to summon the rage he had felt mere seconds ago when they part. 

Bokuto knows. Bokuto knew how Akaashi feels towards him all along. And he’d felt so sorry for him, to the point that he felt the need to kiss him. 

“No, I made you do something you didn’t want to. I’m sorry.” Bokuto says, looking away, his voice nothing but a mere whisper. _God, I’ve wanted that. I’ve wanted that so badly. Please, don’t apologize. I’m begging you, stop apologizing._

“Look, it’s fine. I was to blame too.” His throat feels tight, and he wonders if it shows in his voice. In all honesty, Akaashi had been waiting for the kiss, had thought about what Bokuto’s lips would feel like against his, and had craved the sensation of being held in his arms. And when it finally went down, he felt _elated_. He felt as if he was right where the universe wanted him to be. 

But now that he’s actually gone through with it, and knowing that a) he did it behind Kuroo’s back, and b) the kiss was nothing more than a charity kiss out of Bokuto’s own goodwill and generosity, he finds it impossible to keep the fresh tears on bay. 

“Bokuto-san. We can just forget that ever happened.” Akaashi tries his best to smile, to make it seem as light and sincere as possible. But he could feel his expressions crumbling. He feels something prick at the back of his eyes. He sits up and stands, moving to turn the lights on. “It’s past midnight. I’m going to set up the equipments.” 

He tries to ignore the sound of his own heart breaking. 

He moves across the room in silence, ready to tidy the sleeping bags up when Bokuto finally speaks up again. 

“No.” His voice had been so low, Akaashi had barely heard a thing. He looks up, and sees bright, golden-specked pair of eyes staring at him. “No. I’m not fine with that.” Bokuto raises his voice, leaving no room for retaliation. He reaches out, taking Akaashi’s wrist in his hand to keep him rooted to his spot. “Please, hear me out.” The desperation in his voice shakes him to the core. 

“You—” Akaashi tries to find the right words, to knock some sense into Bokuto’s head and make him realize that whatever it is he’s trying to pull is wrong on so many different levels, that Kuroo doesn’t deserve this kind of betrayal from his lover and best friend. But he couldn’t. His tongue feels heavy and he just doesn’t have the strength left to fight back. “What is wrong with you?!” 

“I’m in love with you!” He screams it to his face, and Akaashi feels the ground crumbling beneath him. “I have been in love with you ever since we first met! So please, would you consider going out with me?” His heartbeat speeds, and the hold Bokuto has around his wrist feels hot, burning against his skin. As if this whole unrequited love thing isn’t hard enough already, now he’s saying he’s in love with him? While still dating another man? Akaashi is fuming. 

“What about Kuroo? I can’t believe—” Akaashi grabs at his hand, tries to pry it off his skin in a fit of rage. 

“Huh? What about Kuroo?” Bokuto cuts through his words, genuine confusion audible in his voice. Akaashi’s body slacks, immediately pausing on his attempt of pushing the other man away. Bokuto looks irritated, but the look in his eyes shows that he really has no idea what Akaashi was getting at. 

“He’s my friend! I’d never do that to him! How do you think he would feel if he knows about… this?” Akaashi gestures at him, looking down in shame. Bokuto stares at him as if he’s grown a second head. 

“Huh? I don’t get it. This whole thing was his idea to begin with.” A second passes, and then a couple more. Akaashi blinks, trying to find any sort of hint in Bokuto’s equally confused face. Wait, what? “Kuroo told me that you’d never figure it out unless I lay it out to you word by word. Which, I just did. Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening.” Akaashi watches as Bokuto’s face turn beet red, the confidence he had mere seconds ago fading into blatant embarrassment. 

“Why would he do that?” 

“Do what? Help a brother out?” Bokuto finally releases Akaashi wrist, the red on his face spreading all the way to his ears and down his neck. “He knew I was into you from the very start. He told me he thinks you feel the same way. So I went for it.” Bokuto seems intent to avoid Akaashi’s eyes. The red on his face hasn’t yet disappeared. Akaashi merely stares at him in bewilderment, trying to piece everything in his head together to no avail. 

“Wait, you’re not…” Akaashi starts. 

“I’m not what?” 

“You’re not… dating Kuroo?” 

“Huh? No fucking way.” The answer came out of Bokuto in one easy breath. “We’re just friends, through and through.” 

They spend the next couple of minutes or so in utter silence. Bokuto stares at him through large, questioning eyes, as if he’s still trying to process what Akaashi had just asked him. Akaashi, on the other hand, was just about ready to end it all. 

“Wait, are you fucking kidding me?!” Bokuto snaps from his trance, his voice thundering through the empty halls of the house. Akaashi flinches, his jaws slacking in utter surprise. “You… All this time, you thought Kuroo and I are…. that we…” Bokuto seems terrified at the mere thought alone, unable to finish his sentence. Akaashi feels faint. He leans on the couch right next to him for support, massaging the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. 

“Are dating, yes.” He finishes for him. 

“That we’re _smooshing booties_?!” Bokuto exclaims in sheer horror. 

“Yes. Yes. I fucking thought you and Kuroo were _smooshing booties_ , okay?” Akaashi retorts, letting it show how irritated he feels towards the ridiculous predicament. “What else am I supposed to think when the two of you keep calling each other ridiculous pet names and act all mushy whenever you’re around each other? I don’t get it, there were so many hints you two were dating.” He shakes his head, wondering why he’s never brought it up with Kuroo, or why Kuroo never said a word. 

He had been so invested in his crush on Bokuto that he hadn’t had the courage to bring up the topic with Kuroo. And like hell he could just snoop around Bokuto’s love life with the man himself. 

He raises his head to look at Bokuto, who seems to be stunned speechless. 

“You said _smooshing booties_.” He says at last, earning a glare from Akaashi because; _really? That’s what you’re focusing on right now?_ Bokuto clamps his mouth shut. “Sorry, so much is happening right now, I think my brain just short-circuited.” He scratches the back of his head sheepishly. 

“Why don’t we just sit down, and… talk? There’s only room for so much misunderstandings between two people.” He mutters the last part quietly, taking a seat on the carpet beneath him. Bokuto follows suit, crossing his legs and adjusting himself so that he was sat close enough to make out the expressions on Akaashi’s face. 

“So… you thought Kuroo and I are a thing?” Akaashi bites his lips, feeling his entire face heat up at the idiotic accusation. He nods anyways. It was his fault for jumping to conclusions. No one had ever said, nor implied they were in a relationship. He just assumed they were, by how close they are to one another, especially as shown in unsolved episodes. It just seemed that way in Akaashi’s eyes. “And that’s why you pushed me away?” 

“Yes.” He says, cringing. Bokuto takes a sharp intake of breath, and for a second, Akaashi expects him to reprimand him, to yell at him for being a huge dumbass and maybe even take back all that he’s said about being in love with him. But what came after was a huge sigh of relieve. 

“Holy fuck, thank God!” Bokuto clutches at his heart. “I thought maybe you just weren’t into me! Or that you secretly hated me to the point of feeling repulsed by that kiss. Your reaction nearly gave me a heart attack!” 

“That kiss nearly gave _me_ a heart attack!” Akaashi raises his voice, his heart still thundering from the sheer memory of the kiss alone. He softens when he watches Bokuto’s face turn slightly guilty, and lets out a long breath he didn’t know he was holding. “You really thought I could come to hate you?” 

“Yes?” 

This time, Akaashi lets out a breath. 

“I don’t.” He wants to say more, wants to call him an absolute idiot for even thinking he could ever possibly hate him (when he’s been whipped for him the second he set eyes on him from that one Buzzfeed Unsolved episode). “I could never.” He repeats one more time in a much softer voice. 

Bokuto remains staring at him through large, round eyes, almost as if he was unconvinced. 

“I mean, it isn’t that hard to take a disliking towards me, I mean I’m loud and I can be really childish sometimes—” 

“Bokuto-san. I really like you.” Akaashi blatantly speaks up, his eyes not once straying away from Bokuto’s. Not wanting to add more onto the misunderstandings, Akaashi continues, “I’m in love with you. I have been for quite some time now.” 

His face feels like it’s on fire. 

“Oh. That’s cool.” Bokuto’s voice wavers throughout the words, as if he’d been holding in a loud scream. 

“Yeah.” Akaashi’s voice wasn’t any better. 

“So now that you know there’s nothing going on between Kuroo and I…” Bokuto trails off, seemingly trying to find the right words. He finally looks up, a hint of determination and confidence present in the golden specks of his eyes. “Can I kiss you again?” 

And the words come flowing back into Akaashi’s head, uninvited, unrelenting. _I’m in love with you! I have been in love with you ever since we first met!_

And it was as if the puzzle pieces had finally come together. 

Something within him shifted, and with one swift movement, he pulls Bokuto by the front of his shirt and catches his lips onto his. The kiss was a lot deeper this time, slow, and passionate. 

Akaashi’s hand travels up to Bokuto’s cheek, drawing him further into the kiss. Bokuto’s arms snake around his waist, and he couldn’t think of a better place to be, anywhere in the whole universe. 

Bokuto’s lips is warm and soft, everything he’d imagined it to be. He could just about die from happiness. He curls his fingers around his hair, drawing him closer and closer. And that’s when it happened. 

Even when they both had their eyes closed, the change was hard to ignore. The lights had suddenly turned off, even when the switched had been untouched on the far end of the room. 

The two momentarily pull apart, speechless. 

“Did the—” Bokuto looks perplexed. “Did the lights just suddenly switch off?” Akaashi looks through the dark, towards the other side of the room where the light switch had remained unperturbed, way too far for any of them to reach. A chill runs through his spine. 

“Yes. I think it just did.” Akaashi responds, dumbfounded. He spots golden eyes in the dark, and the two were held at a stagnant stare-off in utter silence. 

Bokuto’s lips break into a cheeky grin, before leaning in closer. 

“I like it. This is much better.” 

*** 

“What do you mean you have nothing?!” Komi nearly yells at them. It’s barely ten in the morning and Konoha and Komi had returned to the house fully expecting Bokuto and Akaashi to have already packed all their equipment, ready to leave for the office to review their recordings and footages. What they did return to, was Bokuto and Akaashi sleeping comfortably on the couch, their bodies pressed against one another in deep sleep. Not at all surprising, but the timing was still pretty unexpected. “Nothing weird happened? Is that what you mean?” 

“Well, the lights suddenly switched off on its’ own when we were making out, but I think that’s about it—" Bokuto feels a tug at his shirt. He looks to his side to see Akaashi with his head bowed down, a hint of red spread over his cheeks. 

“Bokuto-san.” 

“Oh! Sorry, was I not supposed to say that?” Bokuto flusters. Konoha holds in a laugh. 

“Wait, wait, you two forgot to set up the equipment and turn on all the cameras in the house because you two were busy getting it down with each other?!” Komi looks hysterical now, but the taunting, somewhat mocking smile on Konoha’s lips remain unperturbed. Akaashi and Bokuto merely stands, having the gall to not even look the least bit apologetic. 

“Not to brag but I’d seen this coming. The guys in the office owe me bucks!” Konoha snickers. Akaashi pretends he hadn’t heard a word. 

“I expected this from Bokuto, but definitely not from you, Akaashi.” Komi lets out a huge sigh, shaking his head in defeat. Akaashi merely shrugs, looking away. “What are we going to tell the others?” 

Konoha reels back, gasping. 

“Wait, back up, you’re telling me, that in all the years I’ve lived in this house, never have I had a night free of hauntings and night terrors, while these two lovebirds just came in and fucked in _my_ living room and have absolutely nothing happen to them?!” Konoha raises his voice, suddenly mad. Akaashi looks just about ready to die of shame. “What the fuck, spirits?!” 

Bokuto lets out a booming laughter. 

*** 

“So yeah, that’s what happened.” Bokuto says nonchalantly, watching as Kuroo doubles over from laughter. Tears were starting to gather from the corners of his eyes, and his loud, boisterous laugh was starting to attract attention. 

“Wait, wait, wait! You’re telling me—” His words were cut short, as the fit of laughter continues. Akaashi is glaring at him from where he stands next to Bokuto, fuming. Kenma on the other hand, looks like he couldn’t be any less bothered. “You’re telling me Akaashi thought we were dating?! Dude, I took you for a dumbass but you seriously gave the word a whole new definition.” He wheezes, finally calming down. 

“Yeah, yeah. Can we move on? We’ve been on this for half an hour already.” Akaashi pouts, throwing him the stink-eye. 

“Aw, don’t be mad, Akaashi! I think this side of you is charming as well.” Bokuto suddenly beams, intertwining their fingers together. Akaashi tries to not let it show in his face, but it burns bright red nonetheless. The pout tugging his lips intensifies, he grips at Bokuto’s fingers just as tightly anyways. 

“Man, you guys have only dated for half a week and you’re already this disgusting with each other.” Kuroo feigns a mocking look. 

“Funny, but I wouldn’t know what you and Kenma-san were like when you two started dating since you never bothered telling me.” Akaashi bites back, still unable to process the fact that his best friend of 20 years had merely forgotten to tell him he was seeing someone. The whole misunderstanding wouldn’t have happened in the first place had Akaashi known Kenma existed, so in a way, it’s Kuroo’s fault, the bastard. 

“I said sorry! Also in my defense, I was about to tell you. But this guy beat me to it first.” Kuroo nudges Bokuto on the side. 

“Hey, the movie’s starting, let’s go.” Kenma suddenly speaks up. He half-drags Kuroo by the arm to the theatre entrance, the two bickering along the way. _They complement each other._ Akaashi thinks silently, a smile unconsciously growing on his lips. 

Akaashi looks down on his hand, the one still enveloped in Bokuto’s own. Their hands fit together so well, he briefly wonders if his had been created solely to hold Bokuto’s. It’s a nice thought. 

“Hey. You okay?” Bokuto shoots him a smile, the same exact one that had roped Akaashi into the very situation in the first place. He returns it, just as sincere, heart full and chest brimming with warmth. 

“Never better.” 

  
  


The two walk side by side, and Akaashi swears, he could hear their hearts beating to the same rhythm.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Thank you so much for making it until the end! This is my first Haikyuu fic and I hope you guys go easy on me. I love these two so much and I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now... Feels great to finally post it after letting it sit in the drafts for almost a year. Also, I can't wait for the fourth season and OVA.  
>   
> I'm @owlchiidren on twt and you guys can hit me up anytime to talk about Haikyuu or Bokuaka or literally everything else! I'm also currently taking writing commissions!  
>   
> If anyone is interested on an extra chapter in this AU around Bokuaka and Kuroken ACTUALLY busting ghouls and about the spirit Akaashi saw in Konoha's place, please let me know! Because I'm considering on writing one. It'd be fun to make this a series.  
>   
> Comments and criticisms are highly appreciated! :) -ay


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